Give a young child a boost with I Like Being Me: Poems for Children About Feeling Special, Appreciating Others, and Getting Along (ages 4-8). Judy Lalli has written 26 short, rhyming poems with titles like “Mistakes Can Be Good” and “When I’m Cranky,” each accompanied by black-and-white photographs of children by Douglas L. Mason-Fry. This little book might be good to share with a child having a low moment.
Teens will definitely take heart from Ralph Fletcher’s insightful collection of poems about love, Room Enough for Love (Aladdin, $4.99, 0689819765, teenagers). Adolescence is a time when many turn to poetry to try to understand the barrage of emotions assaulting them. At the end of “Playing with Fire,” for instance, Fletcher writes: “You said you/loved me/but when/I saw your face/I understood/we were just/playing/with that word.” Whether a teen is admiring another from afar, in the middle of a relationship, or breaking up, words of comfort await in this book. This is a book that will appeal to boys as well as girls. Reviewed by Alice Cary.
